Kenya 7s star Willy Ambaka has announced that he will leave International 7s stage after the Sydney 7s scheduled for this weekend.
The player in a statement posted on his social media pages stated that he believes it time to end his 13-year journey.
“After thirteen incredible years playing for the Kenya Rugby Union, I’m beginning to understand that while pursuing great things, it is the pursuit that holds the greatest value. While it has been a tremendous journey, now it is time to pull the curtains on my international rugby sevens journey. This is why I have come the decision that I will be playing my final leg in Sydney this season.”
Ambaka began his rugby career with Kenya Harlequins in 2010. He was recommended to the Kenya Sevens head coach, Benjamin Ayimba, by Harlequins’ strength and conditioning coach, Geoffrey Kimani. Ambaka made his debut for the national Kenya Sevens team at the 2011 Hong Kong Sevens tournament and went on to represent them during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 IRB Sevens World Series.
He was recognized for his performance that season as part of the 2012-2013 HSBC Sevens World Series Dream Team. In 2013, he was nominated for the IRB Sevens Player of the Year award, but lost to Tim Mikkelson of New Zealand.
He also played for the Kenya Sevens at the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow. In 2022, he returned to represent Kenya at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
At club level, Ambaka signed a professional contract with Lyon for the 2013–14 Rugby Pro D2 season, becoming the first Kenyan rugby player to play for a team in the top two divisions in France. He played in ten matches and scored six tries as Lyon won the title and promotion to the Top 14 for 2014–15.
On 31 July 2014, South African Currie Cup side Western Province announced that Ambaka would join them ahead of the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division season. He was signed on the recommendation of Jerome Paarwater, the coach of the Kenya national team and former coach of Western Province.
However, shortly after arriving in Cape Town, he suffered an ankle injury and made no appearances for the team during their title-winning season.
He has played for Manawatu in New Zealand’s Mitre 10 Cup as well Russian side Narvskaya Zastava.
